Advertising Insights and Analysis Tips (Using Meta's 'Ad Library' & Google's 'Ads Transparency Center')
- Jeong Hyeon
- Jun 16
- 5 min read
For any marketer, competitor analysis and identifying market trends are essential skills. However, conducting such market research and analysis is often one of the most challenging tasks. This article was written to help you by introducing services provided by Meta and Google. By using these two tools effectively, we hope marketers can analyze competitors' advertising strategies, improve their own campaigns, and use them as a comprehensive report to see numerous creatives at a glance.
[Market Trend Identification & Analysis Tools]
Meta: 'Ad Library'
Google: 'Ads Transparency Center'
Meta Ad Library
Primary Purpose
The Meta Ad Library aims to provide transparency for all ads running on Meta platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, helping users get detailed information about advertisements.
Features
Extensive Database: Offers a vast database containing all active and inactive ad data from the past seven years.
Easy Search Functionality: Allows for easy searching of ads based on a specific page (advertiser) or keyword.
View Various Formats: You can check all forms of ad creatives, including images, videos, and carousels.
Detailed Information: Provides insights into the ad's run duration, approximate spending, and impression numbers.
Enhanced Transparency: Increases credibility by providing detailed information on ads related to politics and social issues.
Country-Specific Filtering: Enables focused analysis of ad trends in a specific region by filtering by country.
Mobile Accessibility: Conveniently access information anytime, anywhere in a mobile-friendly environment.
Competitor Strategy Analysis: Highly useful for analyzing a competitor's messaging, concepts, and targeting strategies.
Idea Generation: Inspires new ad ideas and helps optimize existing campaigns.
How to Use
Access the Website: Go to the Meta Ad Library (https://www.facebook.com/ads/library).
Select Country and Category: Choose the country and ad category you want to analyze (e.g., All Ads, Issues, elections or politics).
Search:
Search by Page Name: Enter the page name of a competitor or a brand of interest to see all the ads they have run.
Search by Keyword: Enter a specific product or service keyword, like "dietary supplements," to find all related ads.
Apply Filters: Refine your search results using various filters such as platform (Facebook, Instagram), media type (image, video), active status, and run duration.
Analyze Ads: Click on a searched ad to view detailed information like the creative, copy, run duration, estimated spending, and impression regions. You can check top videos and trends based on the advertiser's followers by clicking the 'See ad details' button.
Google Ads Transparency Center
Primary Purpose
The Google Ads Transparency Center provides transparency for ads displayed across Google's vast platforms, including Google Search and YouTube, and helps users easily obtain information about advertisers and ad content.
Features
Comprehensive Platforms: Covers ads across the entire Google ecosystem, including Google Search, YouTube, and the Display Network.
Advertiser Information: Provides detailed information about the advertiser's identity, past ad history, and verification status.
View Ads by Country: You can check the history of ads displayed in a specific region.
Basic Information Provided: Shows the last date an ad was run and its format.
Website-Based Operation: You can check for ads based on a website.
How to Use
Access the Website: Go directly to the Google Ads Transparency Center (https://adstransparency.google.com/).
Search by Advertiser or Website: Enter a specific advertiser's name or website to see the ads they have run on Google.
Filter by Country: Filter ads shown in a specific country to analyze regional advertising strategies.
Check Ad Content: Click on a searched ad to view details like the creative and run dates.
Verify Advertiser Information: Assess credibility through information provided by the advertiser, such as their location.
Strategy to Maximize Efficiency Through Synergy of Both Platforms
Discover and Optimize New Ad Ideas
Meta: Set the country to 'All' and search in various languages. This will help you discover new video formats and designs.
Google: While Meta offers a wealth of visual data, Google makes it easy to check text-based ads. Use the Google 'Ads Transparency Center' for keyword discovery based on this characteristic.
Use the Meta Ad Library to check ad spend levels, identifying minimum and maximum ad costs to run your ads more efficiently.
Using AI Prompts: Overcoming the Limitation of Missing Country-Specific Data
Sometimes, data for a specific country may not be visible. In such cases, try using AI. (Use the prompt below to find and compare suitable benchmark countries for your needs.) [Example AI Prompt]
"I want to determine an appropriate advertising budget by using the Meta Ad Library. However, since data for South (Country Name) is unavailable, I need to use another country as a benchmark. A simple GDP comparison has limitations as it doesn't reflect actual consumer purchasing power or spending patterns for certain product categories. Therefore, please recommend a country with the most similar advertising market environment to (Country Name), considering multifaceted factors like consumer purchasing power, digital ad market maturity, and spending trends for similar product categories, not just GDP. Please explain your reasoning." By making requests to AI in this manner, you can analyze similar countries based on more sophisticated criteria and gain practical help in establishing your marketing strategy.
Competitor Analysis and Benchmarking
Conduct an in-depth analysis of your competitors' visual creatives (images, videos) and ad copy. For example, if a competitor tested 10 creatives for a specific product over the last six months, and three of them have been active for over three months, it's highly probable that these three are successful ads. You can then try running similar ads.
Analyze popularity, performance, and objectives by observing changes in ad exposure range and impression counts.
Identifying Market Trends and Consumer Insights
Compare the number of ads, changes, and trends on both Google and Meta simultaneously to analyze trend shifts based on data.
Meta vs. Google: What's the Difference? A Comparison at a Glance
Feature / Item | Meta Ad Library | Google Ads Transparency Center |
|---|---|---|
Primary Purpose | To provide ad transparency within Meta platforms and support competitor analysis. | To provide ad transparency within Google platforms and empower users with control over their information. |
Key Platforms | Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network | Google Search, YouTube, Display Network, Gmail |
Search Method | Page name, keyword | Advertiser name, accessing ad details via in-ad icons |
Information Provided | Creatives, copy, run duration, estimated spend/impressions, targeting hints | Advertiser identity, past ad history, last run date, ad format |
Primary Users | Marketers (for competitor analysis, idea generation), general users | General users (to check and control ads), regulatory bodies |
Ad Types | Various social media ads like images and videos | Various Google ad formats like text, banners, and videos |
Politics / Social Issues | Provided in a separate, detailed category to emphasize transparency | Enhanced transparency for political ads and provides related reports |
User Control | Limited (e.g., hiding ads) | Provides robust control features like personalization settings through 'My Ad Center' |
Data Scope | Active/inactive ads from the past 7 years | Primarily ads from the last 30 days, advertiser verification info, etc. |
Focus | Greater emphasis on marketing insights and competitive strategy analysis | Greater emphasis on user privacy protection and strengthening ecosystem trust |
Commercial Utility | Very useful for developing marketing strategies through competitor ad analysis | Useful for analyzing a specific advertiser's campaign status and messaging |
If you have any questions or anything else you'd like to know, please feel free to leave a comment or question! Your insights are a great help in creating future content.
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